Congratulations!

You are now embarking on one of the most exciting times in your lives. We want your baby to bring you a lifetime of happiness, starting now. Expect your first few weeks with the baby to be focused primarily on mom’s recovery, feeding the baby, and establishing some day/night routines. No two babies are identical, so this process takes some detective work, flexibility, and guidance. The newborn visits in our office in the first and second week of life give us the opportunity to join you in this venture.

You likely received our Newborn Book in the hospital, but if not, please feel free to reference it here online. It answers many basic questions in topics including feeding/nutrition, baby body care, sleep, and germ protection.

Breastfeeding and Pumping

We have a handout Valuable Resources for Breastfeeding Moms with great information as well as resources available to you online and in Jacksonville. This sheet will be included in your newborn folder and is also available here. We also recommend new moms download the Breast Beginnings app developed by the University of Kentucky. It provides resources and support in learning about breastfeeding in preparation for a new baby, as well as the most common challenges that mothers face when breastfeeding throughout a baby’s second month of life. Please click on the link to learn more about Storage and Preparation of Breastmilk.

Every mother of a newborn will be offered an appointment in the office shortly after delivery with our lactation consultant to ensure the support and success of her breastfeeding experience. Please contact our office to schedule an appointment with our lactation consultant for breastfeeding counseling and lactation management. Please complete the initial intake form prior to your appointment and email it to the email address on the form.

What to bring to your lactation appointment

For your upcoming appointment, please bring any supports or tools that you may find helpful during your consultation. These may include a support pillow (Boppy, MyBreastFriend, pillow, etc.), nipple shield, nipple shell, or other lactation device. It is not necessary for you to buy these items if you are not currently using them. Dress comfortably, consider bringing a sweater, and have a blanket available to cover your infant (infant may be skin-to-skin during feedings). We also highly recommend bringing your pump to the consultation.

Mental Health and Postpartum

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research shows that about one in nine women experiences postpartum depression. Appropriate maternal depression screening is necessary to ensure that postpartum depression is addressed and care is administered in a timely manner to improve quality of care and long-term outcomes for both mother and child. Maternal depression screening identifies mothers who may be suffering from depression and may lead to treatment or discussion of referral strategies for appropriate treatment. US Preventive Services Task Force has endorsed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale as a screening tool that we can use to help identify mothers in need of support and we will offer this screening during your infant’s well check-ups. 

Always contact your obstetrician or primary care provider if you feel you may be suffering from postpartum depression. To view the questionnaire, please click here. For local postpartum depression support groups, please call 904-202-2229.

Finally, our Infancy Section here in the Ages and Stages part of the website is the next step we take with you after this immediate newborn period.